SUSTAINABILITY
Business ethics and governance
Our operations are defined by good business ethics in all aspects of our operations and business activities. Applicable laws, regulations and standards are complied with in the countries in which we operate.
Anti-corruption and fair competition
Our Code of Conduct sets out the basic principles for how the company should do business. This Code provides an ethical compass for employees, the organization and its partners and suppliers. It describes how we and our partners/suppliers should act with regards to corruption and bribery and promote fair competition.
All employees and managers must read and sign the Code of Conduct as part of the recruitment and onboarding process. Each manager is responsible for ensuring that the Code of Conduct is followed in everyday practice by members of their team.
Whistleblower function
Starbreeze implements a whistleblower function through a web-based reporting system where information is collected and handled securely. In accordance with the EU Whistleblower Directive, anyone who comes into contact with Starbreeze has the opportunity to anonymously report the occurrence of behavior or situations that are not in line with the Code of Conduct, and/or applicable laws. There are no requirements to provide personal data and the possibility of anonymity ensures the privacy of the whistleblower. The purpose of the whistleblower unction is to encourage all stakeholders, internal and external, to report suspicions of potential or actual misconduct. This is to maintain the company’s cultural values and comply with high professional and ethical standards in our everyday activities.
Information and IT security
Information and IT security are critical to maintaining the long-term success of Starbreeze's operations. The company works continuously to develop robust systems and processes to ensure that everyone who encounters Starbreeze receives personal data protection. To guarantee confidentiality and integrity in the company, guidelines have been designed based on frameworks such as ISO 27001, CIS, and GDPR. All strategic decisions linked to information security must be taken by the management team to maintain relevant information management and at the same time minimize the risk of errors occurring. Training to increase awareness of information security must be carried out on an ongoing basis with Starbreeze employees so that everyone is confident about the risks that exist and the regulations that apply.
IT security is an integral part of Starbreeze's work and it must ensure appropriate protection of IT systems and infrastructure to successfully minimize risks. All information must be processed by appropriate people and classified based on the security level deemed to be correct. Sensitive information must be encrypted and processed according to the company's policies and, if necessary, Starbreeze must be able to remotely control and delete all information on the company's various devices. At a minimum, Starbreeze must comply with the laws and regulations that are linked to data protection and privacy in all the countries in which the company operates.
Personal data and user privacy
Everyone who comes into contact with Starbreeze’s activities must feel confident about how their personal data is handled. Starbreeze handles a large amount of personal data concerning employees and customers, which is why user privacy takes high priority. The company has processes for how information is collected and personal data is processed in accordance with the guidelines and requirements set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Starbreeze’s Data Protection Officer is responsible for checking that the company complies with the regulations. The Starbreeze website presents the company’s privacy policy, including separate policies for different games.
Fair marketing
We follow the regulations and recommendations in force in each geographical market for the labeling and marketing of games. The company follows the EU and US PEGI and ESRB rating systems for content and age limits. Marketing is ethical, accurate, honest and reflects generally accepted social product standards.
Human rights
Supporting and protecting human rights is seen as a matter of course, both in Starbreeze's own operations and in the value chain. We consider the risk of infringement of human rights in our own operations to be low, given that we actively follow a Code of Conduct and adhere to core values, and that we consciously avoid risk geographies. We only conduct our own operations in countries where employees have good protection under national labor law, which includes the working environment.
There is always a risk that our partners and suppliers operate in risk geographies. In order to avoid any possible risk of parties in the supply chain violating human rights, we impose contractual requirements which are based on the Code of Conduct and national laws and regulations.